Emotional Intelligence

Running head : EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Emotional Intelligence

Author 's name

Author 's affiliation

Date

Emotional Intelligence Definitions and Background Information

Emotional intelligence is not a new conception in psychology . Many early psychologists began their study of intelligence by directing their attention to cognitive aspects , such as memory and problem solving (Robbins Judge 2007 . However , other early researchers recognized that non-cognitive elements were significant . In the late 1930 's Thorndike (1966 ) wrote about "social intelligence " He defined social intelligence as "the ability to understand and manage men and women , boys and girls

- to act wisely in human relations (p . 11

In 1983 , the idea of emotional intelligence resurfaced . Howard Gardner suggested that all human beings posses a number of intelligences , each of which appears to be housed in a different part of the brain Gardner 's ideas came to be known as the Theory of Multiple Intelligences . Within his concept of multiple intelligences , he proposed the "interpersonal ' and "intrapersonal " intelligence are as important as cognitive elements of intelligence . Interpersonal intelligence , or people smart , affords those who have a gift of understanding appreciating , and getting along well with others . Intrapersonal intelligence , on the other hand , is the ability to understand yourself knowing who and what you are , and how you fit into the greater scheme of the universe (Gardner , 2000

Other theorists participated in laying the foundation for our current understanding of emotional intelligence . In 1992 , James Averill and Elma Nunley direct attention to the merit of emotional contentment through emotional creativity in their Emotional Creativity Theory . The Theory of Emotional Competence , proposed by Carolyn Saami , emphasized the social contexts of emotional performance and emotional self-worth . She emphasized that emotional competence is an essential piece of social maturity and ass to the value of interpersonal relationships (Schutte Malouff , Bobik , Coston , Greeson , Jedlicka , Rhodes Wendorf , 2001

In the early 1990 's , Mayer and Salovey first introduced the term "emotional intelligence " They defined it as "a type of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one 's own and other 's emotions , to discriminate among them , and to use this information to guide one 's thinking and actions (Richburg Fletcher , 2002 . They also designed a conceptual model detailing three chief components of emotional intelligence

Emotional Perception .refers to the ability to accurately recognize emotions in oneself and in others . It also refers to the ability to discriminate between honest and dishonest expressions of emotion

Emotional Regulation .refers to the ability to monitor and alter the intensity and direction of an emotion in oneself and others . It includes the ability to moderate negative emotions to remove the detrimental effects on adaptation as well as maintaining positive emotions that have hedonistic value

Emotional Knowledge .refers to and understanding of emotions and the utilization of such information . It includes using emotions to direct attention to important aspects of the social world , to develop creative and flexible perspectives , and to maintain motivation toward goals (Pellitteri , 2002

The emotional intelligence concept was popularized in the mid-1990 's by the...